Deterring school violence and bullying is the mission of the National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence (NCPCV). The organization is debuting a new program at no cost to certified K-12 schools, to help students to speak up about threats and potential violence on campus.
The National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence (NCPCV) has been operating an anti-bullying and anti-violence program for the past decade, GreenZone, which NCPCV claims “has empowered thousands of students nationwide to behave civilly at school and at home.” NCPCV maintains these tools are helping to effectively regulate student behaviors and interactions with others.
NCPCV announced on Friday it wants to expand its scope by adding ProText My School technology to GreenZone. “Together, they create a comprehensive system of programs, training, and technology to enhance school safety response, improve school climate, and empower students to anonymously share information about potentially violent or threatening events on campus,” NCPCV said in a statement.
Bobby Kipper, NCPCV founder and executive director, explained that ProText My School, paired with GreenZone, will provide school officials with a better understanding of how they can help students communicate and promote a violence-free campus. According to Kipper, ProText My School sends real-time phone, text messaging or internet alerts to school administrators and school resource officers when a bullying incident is reported.
Technology firm Voice created ProText My School. Anthony Formhals, the company’s founder, CEO and president, described the service as a machine-learning tool that collects and evaluates information.
“It’s not meant to replace 911 for emergencies. Instead, it gives school officials a closer look at what’s happening with students on campus, on social media, and in the community, which may directly affect campus safety,” Formhals explained.
NCPCV said it will “help schools establish multi-disciplinary response teams, called CARE teams, to respond to information received through ProText My School.” NCPCV will then “train these teams, based on national best practices for critical incident and crisis response.”
NCPCV also announced that it is seeking an exclusive sponsor to help make the technology available to all certified K-12 schools in the nation at no cost.
